﻿10 
  ALASKA 
  FISHEBIES 
  AND 
  FUR 
  INDUSTRIES, 
  1913. 
  

  

  The 
  steamer 
  Homer 
  was 
  again 
  chartered 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  carrying 
  

   supphes 
  to 
  the 
  islands 
  and 
  bringing 
  down 
  the 
  skins 
  in 
  the 
  fall. 
  The 
  

   vessel 
  sailed 
  from 
  San 
  Francisco 
  with 
  the 
  supplies 
  on 
  board 
  June 
  23. 
  

   Fred 
  M. 
  Chamberlain, 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  appointed 
  naturaUst, 
  fur-seal 
  

   service, 
  vice 
  M. 
  C. 
  Marsh, 
  resigned, 
  and 
  George 
  A. 
  Clark, 
  who 
  had 
  

   been 
  appointed 
  special 
  investigator 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  census 
  of 
  the 
  seal 
  

   herd, 
  took 
  passage 
  on 
  the 
  steamer 
  to 
  the 
  islands. 
  The 
  steamer 
  

   arrived 
  at 
  St. 
  Paul 
  Island 
  July 
  13. 
  After 
  landing 
  the 
  supphes, 
  

   including 
  coal 
  from 
  Unalaska, 
  for 
  which 
  a 
  special 
  trip 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  made, 
  

   the 
  seal 
  and 
  fox 
  skins 
  were 
  taken 
  on 
  board 
  August 
  8, 
  and 
  the 
  Homer 
  

   sailed 
  for 
  San 
  Francisco, 
  where 
  she 
  arrived 
  August 
  24, 
  Messrs. 
  

   Lembkey 
  and 
  Clark 
  returning 
  on 
  the 
  vessel. 
  

  

  SALE 
  OF 
  FUR-SEAL 
  SKINS 
  AND 
  FOX 
  SKINS. 
  

  

  In 
  former 
  years 
  the 
  fur-seal 
  skins 
  taken 
  on 
  the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  

   were 
  shipped 
  to 
  London 
  for 
  sale, 
  that 
  being 
  the 
  principal 
  market 
  of 
  

   the 
  world 
  for 
  such 
  skins. 
  In 
  some 
  years 
  London 
  received 
  as 
  many 
  

   as 
  100,000 
  from 
  the 
  Pribilofs 
  alone. 
  It 
  was 
  thought 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  

   Government 
  could 
  secure 
  even 
  approximately 
  the 
  same 
  price 
  for 
  

   skins 
  sold 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  obtained 
  in 
  London 
  a 
  

   change 
  of 
  market 
  was 
  demanded 
  by 
  business 
  and 
  patriotic 
  considera- 
  

   tions. 
  The 
  take 
  of 
  sealskins 
  in 
  1913, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  establishment 
  

   of 
  a 
  close 
  season 
  on 
  seals, 
  numbered 
  but 
  2,296, 
  and 
  the 
  occasion 
  was 
  

   deemed 
  auspicious 
  for 
  making 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  build 
  up 
  an 
  American 
  

   industry 
  dependent 
  upon 
  the 
  selling 
  and 
  dyeing 
  of 
  fur-seal 
  skins. 
  

  

  After 
  due 
  consideration 
  the 
  Department 
  decided 
  to 
  send 
  the 
  seal- 
  

   skins 
  to 
  the 
  St. 
  Louis 
  market 
  for 
  sale 
  at 
  auction 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  Funsten 
  

   Bros. 
  & 
  Co. 
  The 
  previous 
  administration 
  had 
  considered 
  the 
  advisa- 
  

   bility 
  of 
  selling 
  the 
  skins 
  in 
  America, 
  and 
  this 
  year 
  Funsten 
  Bros. 
  & 
  

   Co. 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  firm 
  actively 
  soliciting 
  the 
  business 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   when 
  it 
  was 
  necessary 
  for 
  arrangements 
  to 
  be 
  made. 
  More 
  favorable 
  

   commission 
  rates 
  were 
  secured 
  from 
  the 
  St. 
  Louis 
  firm 
  than 
  had 
  

   previously 
  been 
  secured 
  at 
  the 
  London 
  market 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  both 
  

   fur-seal 
  skins 
  and 
  fox 
  skins 
  and, 
  in 
  addition, 
  transportation 
  rates 
  from 
  

   the 
  Pribilof 
  Islands 
  to 
  St. 
  Louis 
  were 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  to 
  London. 
  

  

  The 
  year's 
  shipment 
  of 
  sealskins 
  was, 
  therefore, 
  consigned 
  to 
  

   Messrs. 
  Funsten 
  Bros. 
  & 
  Co., 
  at 
  St. 
  Louis, 
  Mo., 
  where, 
  with 
  the 
  

   exception 
  of 
  400 
  skins 
  which 
  were 
  withdrawn 
  from 
  immediate 
  sale 
  

   by 
  the 
  Department 
  at 
  the 
  request 
  of 
  the 
  chairman 
  of 
  the 
  Committee 
  

   on 
  Expenditures 
  in 
  the 
  Department 
  of 
  Commerce, 
  House 
  of 
  Repre- 
  

   sentatives, 
  they 
  were 
  sold 
  on 
  December 
  16, 
  1913. 
  The 
  gross 
  pro- 
  

   ceeds 
  of 
  the 
  sale 
  amounted 
  to 
  $54,579, 
  or 
  an 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  $28.78 
  

   per 
  skin. 
  

  

  Excluding 
  20 
  defective 
  blue 
  fox 
  skins 
  which 
  were 
  shipped 
  directly 
  

   to 
  Washington 
  for 
  examination, 
  the 
  1913 
  shipment 
  of 
  fox 
  skins 
  from 
  

  

  